China Power

Taiwan’s Coast Guard Under Fire After Chinese National Rides a Speedboat to New Taipei

Recent Features

China Power | Security | East Asia

Taiwan’s Coast Guard Under Fire After Chinese National Rides a Speedboat to New Taipei

A former PLAN officer, surnamed Ruan, reportedly wanted to defect to Taiwan, but the incident has raised concerns about Taiwan’s coastal defense.

Taiwan’s Coast Guard Under Fire After Chinese National Rides a Speedboat to New Taipei

The Tamsui River near Taipei, Taiwan.

Credit: Depositphotos

In an unusual incident, a 60-year-old Chinese national surnamed Ruan was taken into custody in Taiwan earlier this month after claiming that he hoped to defect. Although a number of such incidents take place in Taiwan each year, what made this case unique was that Ruan made it as far as a ferry terminal in Tamsui in New Taipei – in a speedboat. 

It would be highly unusual for anyone traveling from China to make it to Tamsui, on Taiwan’s mainland, rather than outlying islands of Taiwan close to China’s coast, such as Kinmen or Matsu. As such, some questions have been raised about Ruan’s story, with some suggesting that the speedboat Ruan used to travel to Taiwan was actually released by a larger vessel. If Ruan had, in fact, traveled to Taiwan by speedboat from the Chinese coast, this would have meant that he would have had to travel over 200 kilometers.  

[...]
Dreaming of a career in the Asia-Pacific?
Try The Diplomat's jobs board.
Find your Asia-Pacific job